Lubricating apparatus.



' No. 677,024. Patented lune 25, I901.

, W. J. FAUL.

LUBBICATING APPARATUS.

(Application filed Mar. 21, 1898.)

(No Model.)

2 Sheets-8heet I.

TERS co.. Fnomuma. wasnmmon. n. c.

W. J. FAUL.

LUBBIBATING APPARATUS.

(Application filed Mar. 21. 1898.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-8heet 2.

No. 677,024. Patented June 25, 19m.

w 5 ma i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM J. FAUL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

LUBRICATING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 677,024, dated June 25,1901..

Application filed March 21, 1898.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM J. FAUL, of New York, county and State ofNew York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inLubricating Apparatus, of which the following is a full, clear, andexact specification, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings,wherein Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly a section, of my improvedlubricating apparatus; Fig. 2, a front elevation of the same; Fig. 3, adetailfront view showing the mechanism operating the gong; Fig. 4, aside elevation of an upright engine provided with my improvedlubricating apparatus; Fig. 5, an elevation, partly a section, showing amodified construction of my improved lubricating apparatus and of themechanism for operating the feed-indicating devices.

Similar numerals of reference indicate cor responding parts in all viewsof the drawings.

My invention rotates to lubricating apparatus; and it consists of thehereinafter-described construction of an automatic lubricator and of thecombination therewith of the devices for visibly and audibly indicatingthe flow of the lubricant.

It is Very important that an engine while in operation be constantly andsufficiently provided with lubricant and that the flow of the lubricantbe steady and capable of regulation. There are many differentconstructions of lubricating apparatuses known and in use which tend toaccomplish this object. The so-called sight-feed lubricators aredefective in that under certain conditions the flow of the oil throughthe glass tube is continuous, not in drops, and in such case it isimpossible for the tender of the engine to determine the quantity orvelocity of the flow with any approach to accuracy. Besides this it isalso necessary for the tender of the engine to spend considerable timein observing the flow, and when his attention is required elsewhere hewould not be informed if the lubricating apparatus should cease tooperate until probably the working of the engine itself would call hisattention to it.

My invention tends to provide an apparatus which can be accuratelyadjusted to feed Serial No. 674,649. (No model.)

continuously the required quantity of lubricant and to combine with itdevices signaling visibly and audibly, whether the apparatus acts ornot, and indicating also the quantity and velocity of the feed.

The construction of my improved lubricating apparatus in illustrated inFig. 1 of the drawings. Cup 1 is of the usual cylindrical shape andclosed on top by lid 2, provided with inlet connection 3 and outletconnection 4. The inlet-pipe 3 is provided with a stopcock 5 and may beconnected to a tank or other means for holding the oil for the cup.Outlet connection 4 is divided into feed-pipes 6, provided withgraduated stop-cocks 7 and conveying the oil from the cup 1 into thechest and into the cylinder of the engine, respectively. In the bottomof the cup is an aperture 8, to which a steam-feed pipe 9, provided withstop-cock 10, is connected by a T'- shaped fixture, in the lower end ofwhich is fixed cook 11, serving as an outlet or exhaust. Piston 12 issnugly fitted in the cup, andpiston-rod 13, passing through the lid 2,terminates in a rack 14, meshing with pinion 15, set on shaft 16,operating the indicating devices. These are mounted upon the frame 17,which also supports the cup 1 in its position and serves for affixingthe lubricating apparatus to the standard of an engineby means ofbrackets 18. Shaft 16 is mounted in standards 19, and pinion 15 isrigidly keyed to it. On the inner end of shaft 16 is also rigidly keyedthereto a wheel 20, having a serrated rim engaging with a spring-pointer21, affixed to the short end of the lever 22, fulcrumed in lug 26. Gong23 is fixed on bracket 24. Hammer 25, set on the longer end of lever 22,rests normally on the inside of the gong, asshown in Fig. 3. When shaft16 is in motion,wheel 20, engaging with the spring pointer 21, liftsintermittently hammer 25, which then when dropping again to its normalposition strikes the gong and produces a sound, indicating audibly thatthe apparatus is in action. The strokes follow in more rapid successionthe faster the shaft 16 is turned, and their more or less rapidsuccession thus indicates the speed of the apparatus. On the same shaft16 is keyed wheel 27, meshing with pinion 28, rigidly secured ordecreases.

to shaft 29 in standards 30 and 31. On the outer end of the shaft 29 isfixed a pointer 32, traversing the scale provided on the periphery ofdial 33, afiixed to the standard 31, thus visibly indicating the actionand the speed of the apparatus.

Bracket 34, adjustably secured by screw to the piston-rod and extendedinto rack 36, serves for operating the piston 12 by turning the wheel37, mounted on stud 38, pillowed in the projecting ends of the frame 17.This device is used mainly for driving the piston downwardly to draw theoil into the cup and is operated by taking hold of the spokes of thewheel 37 and moving it in the required direction. For greaterconvenience the shaft 38 may be extended to project on one sideand-squared or otherwise fitted to receive a crank, by means of which itmay be turned. Sometimes it is necessary to throw a larger quantity oflubricant into the working cylinder of the engine, and in such a casethis device for operating the piston 12 can also be used for thispurpose by moving the piston upwardly, thus aiding the action of thesteam.

The lubricating apparatus acts as follows: At the start the piston 12 isdriven downwardly to the bottom of the cup 1, whereby thelubricating-oil is drawn into the cup through inlet-pipe 3 into thespace above the piston 12. Thereupon stop-cock 5 is closed and cocks 7and valve 10 opened, the latter admitting steam underneath the piston12. The steam pressing upon the piston 12 from beneath drives the oilthrough outlet 4 into feed-pipes 6 and is conveyed into the chest andcylinder of the engine or wherever it might be required. As the piston12 is forced upwardly it imparts a rotary motion to the pinion 15 and tothe 'shaft 16, and thus the indicating apparatus is set in motion. Whenadjusting the How of the oil, the tender of the engine will observe thepointer 32, which by reason of the multiplying-gear 27 and by reason ofits own length, increasing its swing, indicates more sensitively andmore definitely the speed of the piston 12. The gearing operating thepointer must be so proportioned to the area of the piston 12 that themotion of the pointer will indicate the quantity of the lubricantpassing through the feed-pipes in degrees upon the dial. The

tender of the engine will then be able to exactly adjust the lubricatorto feed the required quantity of lubricant and to regulate in accordancetherewith the pressure of steam.

W'hen theapparatus is once adjusted, the tender of the engine does notneed to devote anytime to observingits operation. The tickingor soundingof the gong will keep him constantly informed that the apparatus is inoperation and also when its speed increases \Vhen the apparatus shouldstop in its action for any reason whatsoever,

the sounding of the gong will cease, and thus inform the tender of theengine.

When the piston reaches the top of the cup 1, its motion is stopped, andthen the apparatus is refilled and again set in operation. First cocks 7are shut and cook 5 opened, the steam is turned off by closing the valve10, and cock 11 opened, whereupon piston 12 is moved downwardly byturning wheel 37 in the required direction, thus drawing in the oilintothe cup, and then the lubricator is again started, as described above.

In Fig. 5 a modified construction of my improved lubricating apparatusis shown which is more suitable for gas and oil engines and such othermachines where steam is not available. In this apparatus the piston 12is operated by screw 39, the screw being driven by worm-gear 40 and 41,the worm-wheel 40 serving as a driving-nut. form 41- is keyed to a shaftwhich is rotated by a belt orother motion-transmitting device from themain shaft of the engine. Piston 12 can also be moved by turning thehand-wheel 42, secured to the end of screw 39. This device serves alsofor the purpose as described with'reference to the rack 36 and wheel 37in the other construction. In other respects the arrangement ofthelubricatin g apparatus is the same. In the same view, Fig. 5,anelectrical device for actuating the shaft 16 is shown as a substitutefor the rack 14 and pinion 15, described above. In this modifiedconstruction the piston-rod 13 terminates in an intermittentco-nductor43, and a contact-piece 44 is fixed on the top of frame 17 serving as aswitch for connecting the electric circuit between the intermittentconductor 43 and the electric motor 45, set on the shaft 16. Thiselectric motor 45 consists of an armature affixed to the shaft 16 and amagnetic field surrounding the same. The motor receives the electriccurrent through the connecting-rod 13, whose surface, which is incontact with the contact-piece 44, is divided by strips of insulatingmaterial, so as to alternately close and break the circuit as the piston12 moves, whereby the motor 45 is alternately started and stopped. Bythe motion of the piston 12 an intermittent motion is imparted to theshaft 16, causing it to turn and operate the indicating devices in themanner as described above. When the motion of the piston 12 ceases at amoment when the electric circuit is closed, the gong 23 will be rungcontinuously and will, like the sounding of an alarm, call the attentionof the tender of the engine to the apparatus. If the motion of thepiston 12 ceases while the electric circuit is interrupted, then thesound-ing of the gong will also cease and the absence of the sound willindicate the stopping of the apparatus. This apparatus will alsoindicate the speed of the motion and the quantity of the lubricator fedinto the engine in the same-manneras the devices described above.

The illustration in Fig. 4. shows the manner of affixing the lubricatingapparatus in suitable position to a marine engine.

I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. Thecombination in a lubricating apparatus, with mechanism for dischargingthe lubricant therefrom, of mechanism for visibly indicating the volumeand speed of the flow of the lubricant, the indicating mechanism beingoperatively connected with the mechansm for discharging the lubricant.

2. The combination With a lubricating apparatus comprising a vesseladapted to hold the lubricant and provided with an outlet, mechanism fordischarging the lubricant from the vessel and means for regulating thevolume and speed of the discharge, of mechanism for visibly indicatingthe volume and speed of the flow of the lubricant discharged from theapparatus, the indicating mechanism being operatively connected with themechanism for discharging the lubricant.

3. The combination with a lubricating apparatus comprising a vesseladapted to hold the lubricant and provided With an outlet, mechanism fordischarging the lubricant from the vessel, means for governing thevolume and speed of the discharge, and means for audibly signaling thecontinuous action of the lubricating apparatus, of mechanism for visiblyindicating the volume and speed of the flow of the lubricant dischargedfrom the apparatus, operatively connected with the mechanism fordischarging the lubricant.

4. The combination with a lubricating apparatus comprising a vesseladapted to hold the lubricant and provided with an outlet, mechanism fordischarging the lubricant from the vessel and means for governing thevolume and speed of the discharge, of means for audibly signaling thecontinuous action and speed of the lubricating apparatus and forsimultaneously visibly indicating the volume and speed of the flow ofthe lubricant discharged from the apparatus, the mechanism for visiblyindicating the volume and speed of the flow of the lubricant beingoperatively connected with the mechanism for discharging the lubricantfrom the lubricating apparatus.

5. A lubricating apparatus comprising a closed vessel, a piston fittedin the vessel, an inlet and an outlet above the piston, means for movingthe piston in the vessel and means for simultaneously indicating visiblyand audibly the quantity and speed of the flow of the lubricant, themechanism for visibly indicating the volume and speed of the flow of thelubricant being operatively connected with the mechanism for dischargingthe lubricant from the lubricating apparatus.

6. The combination with a lubricating apparatus comprising a closedvessel, a piston fitted in the vessel, and means for movingthe piston,of mechanism for simultaneously indicating visibly and audibly thequantity and speed of the flow of the lubricant, the mechanism forvisibly indicating the volume and speed of the flow of the lubricantbeing operatively connected with the mechanism for discharging thelubricant from the lubricating apparatus.

In witness that I claim the improvements described in the foregoingspecification I have signed my name in the presence of two sub scribingWitnesses.

\VILLIAM J. FAUL.

W'itnesses:

HENRY SOHREITER, ROBERT VALENTINE MATHEWS.

